This generation has no idea what it was like. I put so much blood sweat and tears into the music biz. Genovese : 'We sent demos to labels back then, t o certain people but once Stiffy got into trouble the demos became not important any more.

J-Blend (RIP) & Genovese - Photo courtesy of Joseph Genovese Genovese's first official appearance was on the various compilation entitled ' 10 Deep' released on Ready Or Not Records in 1994. Couldn’t ever tell tho lol'Įveryone knows that Genovese was a member of The Lox but nobody knows that Genovese started in the early 90s as a member of the Yonkers-based duo named Unknown Soldiers. I wrote it to a Lox beat and Styles P had that hook in the stash so I really dope song that the lyrics and hook weren’t even written to the beat. Funny thing about 'Thesis' beat, is I didn’t write the song to that beat. So Diehard really gave me the opportunity to work in studio consistently and threw us bread and mad gear. At that time I was hangin with Swizz Beats a lot. Then chilling in Ruff Ryders studio trying to work.

We were with him (me and Kasino) everyday going to Daddy's house to hang while they recorded. I was running with the LoX at that time, living with Styles P in Yonkers. The album's highlights (e.g., '82 Afros,' 'Soul Fever,' 'Black Hollywood') don't reach the heights of 'Luchini,' yet at 12 tracks, Black Hollywood is succinct and never dull - again, in clear contrast to concurrent rap efforts, which are single-driven and terribly overlong.Genovese : ' I met Diehard Records through Richie Thumbs who was dealing with them first. Just as Camp Lo were a breath of fresh air in 1997 circa 'Luchini' (the height of gangsta rap, if you recall), their reunion with Ski on Black Hollywood in 2007 is refreshing, coming as it did at a time when rap was as creatively stagnant, if not in recession, as it had ever been. The guys aren't ace rappers, admittedly, but they're certainly unique in terms of flow, cadence, and attitude in general, the mélange of '70s blaxploitation motifs they so often riff upon seems less interesting than how they spit their rhymes. Moreover, Ski has become increasingly recognized for his other 1990s productions, most famous among them Jay-Z classics 'Dead Presidents II,' 'Politics as Usual,' and 'Streets Is Watchin'.' And indeed, Ski brings his classic, sample-laced early-'90s production style to every second of the 35-minute Black Hollywood, which alone may be reason enough for some hip-hop aficionados to give the album a listen.Īs for the raps of Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba, they're as distinct as they were ten years prior. Ski was the original Camp Lo producer, the guy who programmed the beats of 'Luchini' as well as 'Coolie High,' another highlight from Uptown Saturday Night. What helps make Black Hollywood feel welcome in 2007, and more likely to be embraced than Let's Do It Again was, is the presence of producer Ski (aka Ski Beatz), who gets visible billing here. No question about it, five years is a lifetime in rap terms in fact, few rappers see their career endure five years' time total. Part of the reason Let's Do It Again was met so indifferently was because of the five-year gap distancing it from its predecessor, the debut album Uptown Saturday Night (1997).Ĭamp Lo faced the same fate with Black Hollywood, which, like Let's Do It Again, was a half-decade distanced from its predecessor. Camp Lo, the Bronx rap duo who authored the 1997 throwback rap classic 'Luchini aka This Is It,' made an unexpected, and quite refreshing, return in 2007 with Black Hollywood.Ĭamp Lo's return was unexpected because the duo (i.e., Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba) had dropped off after the indifferent reaction to their previous album, sophomore effort Let's Do It Again (2002).

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